Cradle of Wine

Founded in 2007 by Armenak Aslanian, ArmAs is a leader in Armenia’s indigenous grape revival. His daughter Victoria now runs the family winery, continuing a long lineage of winegrowers. Armenak found ideal terroir in Aragatsotn Province, transforming a neglected 180-hectare property into a modern vineyard. With Italian winemaker Emilio Del Medico, ArmAs today crafts wines from native varieties like Karmrahyut, Kangun, Voskehat, and Areni, blending Italian winemaking expertise with Armenia’s rich viticultural heritage.

Founded in 1963, Tbilvino was a key player in Soviet-era Georgian winemaking. After the Soviet Union's collapse, the Margvelashvili brothers revitalized the winery, shifting focus from mass production to quality. By embracing Georgia’s ancient viticulture and modern techniques, they restored Tbilvino’s reputation. Today, the winery produces both traditional qvevri-aged wines and innovative expressions of native Georgian grapes like Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane, and Saperavi.

Davino is highly regarded as one of Romania’s top wineries, praised for its work with Eastern European native grapes. Founded in 1997 by Dan Balaban, Davino was only the third private winery in the aftermath of the 1989 revolution. Winemaker Bogdan Costachescu, at Davino since 1998, champions low-intervention winemaking and sustainability, with full organic conversion of the winery expected by 2028. Master of Wine Caroline Gilby calls Davino “Romania’s wine aristocracy,” with its wines consistently used as reference samples by top universities.

Tóth Ferenc - affectionately known as Uncle Feri - and his wife embarked on their winegrowing journey back in 1983. A passionate advocate for rare grape varieties like Kadarka and Leányka, Tóth Ferenc has significantly contributed to the Eger region’s viticultural landscape, earning him the prestigious Hungarian Order of Merit for his efforts in 2017. In 2005, his daughter Katalin and son-in-law Zoltán joined, enhancing the winery's legacy and championing the official recognition of Egri Csillag (the region's flagship white wine) into appellation law.